The organizations around the NFL that are annually in the conversation for Super Bowl contention share several common traits, one of which is the strategy of drafting for the best player available (or “BPA”) rather than drafting solely for need.
In fact, Chris Grier has also tried to use this strategy in filling glaring roster holes with quick-fix free agent additions in prior seasons due to not having enough draft picks from trades.
Using the BPA strategy allows the great teams that are actually built well from the foundation up, like Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Green Bay, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, to annually add key contributors to their rosters at the back-end of the first few rounds of the draft. Key pieces who are highly talented, yet fall for whatever reason, like character concerns, a previous injury, or not scoring well on some statistical/analytical measure that may mean absolutely nothing for assessing the player’s future.
We see it every year as Dolphin fans, and we think, Damnit, how are the Ravens/Bills/Chiefs adding this guy!
With that in mind and assuming the Dolphins are not tanking the season—which I am candidly not sure about as I write this today—I have put together a list of potential acquisition targets who should not cost too much but may be capable of filling some of the team’s significant positional voids.
Def. Tackle: John Jenkins, Linval Joseph, Austin Johnson, Johnathan Hankins
Cornerback: Jack Jones, James Bradberry, C.J. Henderson, Asante Samuel, Jr.
Safety: Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, Julian Blackmon, K’Von Wallace
Guard: Will Hernandez, Jon Feliciano, Brandon Scherff, Mark Glowinski
Off. Tackle: Andre Dillard, Jedrick Wills, Chukwuma Okorafor, Conor McDermott
If the Dolphins could acquire, let’s say, two of the defensive tackles and then one player from each of the remaining position categories, I believe the Dolphins would be in as best shape as possible for the draft under the current fiscal regime. And the team can accomplish these acquisitions (and likely more) with current cap space, plus money that can be made accessible via cutting Jake Bailey and extending Zach Sieler, which should really happen anyway, considering the recent production and leadership he has provided.
Once again, with all the recent news and rumors surrounding this team, it sure looks like the Dolphins’ leadership is more focused on 2026 than 2025. But perhaps that can all change with some future transactions and a successful draft.
